Barrymore speaks (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Barrymore speaks

8:16am Saturday 11th March 2006

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CELEBRITY MIchael Barrymore has criticised the on-going fight by Terry Lubbock to find out exactly how his son died.

In a letter to Mr Lubbock the former television game show host hits out at his approach to try and find the full facts about the case.

And Mr Barrymore insists "once and for all" that he is hiding no information about Stuart Lubbock's death.

Stuart, 31, died almost five years ago after he was found floating in the pool at Mr Barrymore's then home in Beaumont Park Drive, Roydon. He was among a group who went back to the property for a party following a night at the Millennium nightclub, Harlow.

The letter reads: "If we are to work together it is not constructive to keep saying that I have further information and it is unhelpful if you continue to make unfounded allegations in letters which obviously you have not written yourself. I am concerned that other persons seem to have a different agenda.

"Let me put your mind at rest for once and for all. I do not have any further information as to Stuart's death or the injuries he sustained after he died at casualty."

Mr Lubbock's solicitor, Tony Bennett, said Mr Barrymore had made "an error of judgement" in deciding to write the letter while Mr Lubbock described its contents as a "feeble attack".

Mr Lubbock, of Great Brays, Harlow, added the letter made no reference to what could have happened to Stuart at Mr Barrymore's home.

Mr Barrymore insists serious anal injuries sustained by Stuart were inflicted after he was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital. The letter refers to an "unexplained gap" of about eight hours before Stuart's body was examined by a pathologist. Mr Lubbock maintains the injuries were inflicted before his son reached hospital.

Mr Barrymore's letter adds: "Terry, if we are to persuade the police to investigate further, we will need some evidence, which neither of us have."

Mr Barrymore, who met Mr Lubbock at a London hotel following his Celebrity Big Brother appearance, says the £20,000 put up by the Lubbock Trust as a reward for information leading to a conviction could be used to fund a private investigation.

The letter ends: "I am prepared to honour our agreement to work together but you must be constructive and not keep ignoring proven facts. If we can persuade the police to assist, their first enquiry should be into the 'missing eight hours'."

Commenting on the letter, sent from New Zealand where Mr Barrymore now lives, Mr Lubbock said: "He's trying to attack. It's a feeble attack. I believe we have Barrymore on the back foot. I think he's running out of room to manoeuvre."

Tony Bennett, who failed in a recent attempt to bring a private prosecution against Mr Barrymore, said of the letter: "It's an error of judgement to have written it. It would have been better not to have written it. It doesn't take the case any further. It doesn't help the situation at all. What is needed is somebody to talk about what happened before he (Stuart) was found (in the pool).

"The coroner referred to a 'wall of silence'. There is a wall of slience and Barrymore's letter doesn't help to chip away at that wall."

He added: "The suggestion we should divert the money to a private investigation focusing on what happened at the mortuary is little short of wicked."

Mr Bennett said he expected Mr Lubbock to reply to the letter.

Mr Lubbock was this week meeting a film company with a view to allowing a film to be made about his son's death.

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